Camaraderie Remains

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Written by Win Smith

Last weekend, Lili and I attended my 50th reunion at Deerfield Academy where I spent my four high school years. Other than a couple of classmates, I had not seen most of them for five decades. We have scattered over the years and pursued many different careers. What a great weekend it turned out to be! The Deerfield we knew has changed dramatically over the years. It is now co-ed and the diversity of its student body is impressive. There are newer and better facilities. And yet, as much as it has changed, the culture and principles that existed when we were there and which had such a positive impact on many of us, still exist. Coming together after 50 years was easy, and conversations flowed smoothly. We not only remembered and laughed about our student years, but because we had belonged to a community, we came together comfortably as a community once again, as if we had never been apart.

In many ways, that is our goal for Sugarbush. We inherited a precious asset from prior owners, as well as a mountain community that was begun by the Gadd and Elliott families nearly 60 years ago. While we will continue to evolve and to improve, our goal is to keep the mission of Sugarbush the same in the years ahead: to cultivate a spirit of lifelong adventure and camaraderie. My hope is that my young grandchildren will feel this same spirit 60 years hence when they return here with their own grandchildren--that they will feel that life was better in the Mad River Valley when they were children, and even better years later.

And speaking of camaraderie, I was sorry to miss our seventh annual Brew-Grass Festival last weekend, but I did peek at our webcams and saw the beautiful weather and the full plaza on Saturday. After weeks of wet and cold, the summer sunshine and temperatures arrived just in time. It was also nice to see the many who played in our second annual golf Brew-Grass scramble on Sunday.

Our official opening of summer activities is only a little over a week away. Beginning on Saturday, June 24th, Bravo will spin every day through Labor Day to bring people up to mid-mountain for either hiking or mountain biking. Rumble’s Kitchen will also be open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and weeknights will be filled with a number of fun specials and activities. Our kids camps get rolling on Monday, June 26th and while they are filling up well, we do have spaces available throughout the summer. To make a reservation, call 1-800-53SUGAR.

A week after opening weekend is the Frendly Gathering at Mount Ellen, followed by the Fourth of July. With the fourth falling on Tuesday this year, it provides a great excuse to take a long weekend and join us for a ton of fun activities both here at the mountain as well as throughout the Valley. The Warren Parade’s theme this year is Stars and Stripes, and while this will surely stir the creative juices of Prickly Mountain and others, our float will be sticking to what the Fourth is all about – INDEPENDENCE! Do come and see how we will be proudly celebrating our independence. May the Fourth be with you!

When you are here, stop in and see Gadd Brook or reach out to Kyle Neyer (kneyer@sugarbush.com) for more information. The remaining 13 units not only offer great ski-in/ski out convenience and spectacular mountain views, but they are also great residences from which to enjoy our beautiful summer months, as well.